‘Out-of-control Chinese rocket falling to Earth could partially survive re-entry. Long March 5B is doing 27,600km/h in failing orbit, with eventual crash site unknown, after launching space station hub.
China’s rocket launches into space are bringing about much discussion in the United States. One of the questions is, how does China’s rocket know where it is going? China’s answer to that is they do not announce that they are going to space, but rather wait to see what the US will do first. Some in Washington are very worried that China may use the space station as a “stepping stone” to get to an unmanned space probe that China would buy and install onto China’s rocket. That would be a huge problem for NASA.
China’s new rocket also has a problem, some in the US government are worried that China will take this one step further and start putting weapons on their satellites. A weapon in space would open up the space frontier to China and send Chinese astronauts to space. That would put China in a very strong position. If China successfully launched a communications satellite or two from satellites orbiting the Earth that would be a major advancement in their space program.
China’s current large carrier rockets have been used before and there are no reports of them breaking any international regulations. The new Long Jing-3 satellite is China’s first to go into orbit. This is a small satellite that will enter an orbit around the Earth and go into a low earth orbit. China’s small and medium-range rockets will soon be able to put China into a better space negotiating position.
China’s next launches should be from Jiuquan, which is located about twelve miles from Beijing. The Building-2 (which is also known as the Hebei-2) will be China’s first ever to go to the moon. It will launch from Jiuquan and travel to the moon and back. It will land on the moon and return to earth and it will have a much greater life span than any other type of Chinese rocket.
China’s next four missions to the moon will be the Long Jing-4 (which will be named the Ying Yang Rocket after its supposed name), the Ying Yang Long, Jiuquan’s own lunar sample lander, and the Yuyuan rocket. All of these satellites are meant to test different aspects of China’s space program including space weather and orbit, launch abort systems, satellite re-entry, and even the return of the boosters. If all goes well China will have three operational satellites within a year. The first one is expected to go up in November 2023. The last one is due to launch in 2023.
China’s first launch of a reused rocket also had another purpose. China wanted to see if it could safely put a robotic probe on the moon and use its robotic probe as a platform for lunar exploratory missions. If China can do this, it means China will have the ability to take its first step into the moon race. China’s Change-5 is supposed to have two successful manned missions to test this capability.
If China’s maiden flight is successful, the next step will be to use LAP for space research. This rocket will also carry three small satellites. They will be put into low-earth orbit and attempt to track the auroras over the poles. China’s new reusable rocket can do this in a shorter period of time than what is required for a manned mission and also at a smaller cost than the US expendable rockets.
China’s latest attempts at manned space flight will continue to improve. The ultimate goal is to have its astronauts in space within a decade. If China’s long-term goal is to have a base on the moon that it will use for robotic exploration then its new LEP or” MAOLA” launch vehicles should start getting humans into orbit around the moon by 2023. If China’s current LEO and MEO launch vehicles can’t do it then the United States will be the new space company.
